Koulikoro Region ( Bambara: ߞߎߟߌߞߏߙߏ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Kulikoro Dineja) is a region in western

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

. It is the second administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 90,120 km². Its capital is the city of

Koulikoro Koulikoro (Bambara language, Bambara: ߞߎߟߌߞߏߙߏ tr. Kulikoro) is a town and Communes of mali, urban commune in Mali. The capital of the Koulikoro Region, Koulikoro is located on banks of the Niger River, downstream from Mali's capital Bam ...

Geography

The region of Koulikoro is bordered by Mauritania on the north, the region of

Kayes Kayes ( Bambara: ߞߊߦߌ tr. ''Kayi'', Soninké: ''Xaayi'') is a city in western Mali on the Sénégal River with a population of 127,368 at the 2009 census. Kayes is the capital of the administrative region of the same name. The name "Kayes ...

on the west, by Guinea and the region of

Sikasso Sikasso ( Bambara: ߛߌߞߊߛߏ tr. Sikaso) is a city in the south of Mali and the capital of the Sikasso Cercle and the Sikasso Region. It is Mali's second largest city with 225,753 residents in the 2009 census. History Sikasso was founded ...

on the south, and by the region of

Ségou Ségou (; bm, ߛߋߓߎ, italic=no, ) is a town and an urban commune in south-central Mali that lies northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger. The town is the capital of the Ségou Cercle and the Ségou Region. With 130,690 ...

to the east. In 2009 the Koulikoro Region had a population of 2,418,305. These were mainly Bambaras, Malinkés Sonikes and around the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...

. The region is irrigated by several rivers, including the Niger, Baoulé, Sankarani, Baogé,

Bani Bani may refer to: Places Africa *Bani Department, a department in the Séno Province of Burkina Faso *Bani, Bani, Séno, Burkina Faso * Bani, Bourzanga, Bam, Burkina Faso *Bani, Gnagna, Burkina Faso * Bani, The Gambia *Bani River, a tributary ...

and Bafing. The climate of the region's south has the high rainfall typical of the Sudan, while north of the Kita-Bamako axis, it tends to a Sahelian aridity. The largest cities of the region are

Kati KATI (94.3 FM), branded as 94.3 KAT Country, is a radio station which broadcasts country music and St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Licensed to California, Missouri, the station serves the Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, i ...

Kolokani Kolokani is a town of approximately 57,307 inhabitants in Mali's Koulikoro Region. It is the capital of the Cercle of Kolokani, which consists of 10 rural communes (Didieni, Guihoyo, Kolokani, Massantola, Nonkon, Nossombougou, Ouolodo, Sagabala, ...

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

Banamba Banamba is the capital of Banamba Cercle, one of the seven Cercles of the Koulikoro Region of Mali. Its estimated 2008 population is 7000. The town lies due north of the regional capital of Koulikoro, and is connected by a 40 km all-weat ...

and Dioïla; however the most populous ''commune'' is

Kalabancoro Kalabancoro or Kalaban Koro is a rural commune and town in the ''cercle'' of Kati within the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. The commune has become part of the suburbs of Bamako, the Malian capital. It lies on the south side of the Nige ...

. The Boucle du Baoulé National Park and the natural reserves of Fina, Kongossambougou and Badinko shelter a diversity of wildlife.

History

The region of Koulikoro is the seat of several great empires which followed one another in Mali: the

Ghana Empire The Ghana Empire, also known as Wagadou ( ar, غانا) or Awkar, was a West African empire based in the modern-day southeast of Mauritania and western Mali that existed from c. 300 until 1100. The Empire was founded by the Soninke people, an ...

, the

Sosso Empire The Sosso Empire was a twelfth-century Kaniaga kingdom of West Africa. The Kingdom of Sosso, also written as Soso or Susu, was an ancient kingdom on the coast of west Africa. During its empire, reigned their most famous leader, Sumaoro Kan ...

and the Mali Empire.

Culture

The land of the Manding (or Mandé) is located in this area. It is the cradle of the Empire of Mali and known for preserving its traditional culture with its

griots A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician. The griot is a repos ...

and its hunters. Like much of Mali, the area is strongly Islamized, but the practices of

animists Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, hu ...

remain very present in the villages. Bambara serves as the area's most common language. Koulikoro is famous for its traditional puppet theater, showcased in many festivals such as in the village of Diarabougou. Several musicians are natives of the region, including

Salif Keita Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali. Biography Early life Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village o ...

and

Rokia Traoré Rokia Traoré (born 24. January 1974) is a Malian-born singer, songwriter and guitarist. She made six albums between 1998 and 2016. ''Bowmboï'' (2003) won the Critics Award category at the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2004 and ''Tcham ...

Transport and economy

is the terminus of the Dakar-Niger railway. It is also an important port on the Niger River which makes it possible to serve the towns of

, Mopti, Tombouctou and

Gao Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an impor ...

. The area is served by the airport of Bamako-sénou. Agriculture remains the dominant economic activity, although several industries are present in the district, such as the Hydroelectric dam of Sélingué, gold-bearing industries around

Kangaba Kangaba is a town, commune, and seat of the Kangaba Cercle in the Koulikoro Region of south-western Mali. Kangaba is believed to have been founded in 1050 by Mandingo tribesmen and was a vassal state of the Ghana Empire. Once known as Kaba, the ...

, and the

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

production site in

Fana Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the southeastern part of the municipality of Bergen. The borough was once part of the historic municipality of Fana which was incorporated into Bergen ...

, Mali's second largest.

Administrative subdivisions

The Koulikoro Region is divided into seven ''cercles'' encompassing 106 ''communes'':. Mali's capital (

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

) is located in the heart of the region, but forms a separate administrative entity called the Bamako Capital District; it is entirely surrounded by Kati Cercle.

References

External links

*. {{authority control Regions of Mali